The perfect holiday

I'm lucky enough to have just been to Florida for a week of family fun, eco-exploring and alligator avoiding... It was wonderful, but if I had an unlimited budget I'd love to spend a couple of months with my family in India, or go on a luxury cruise in the Caribbean.

I also love Greece, and while I've been to lots of the islands (mostly on a student shoestring), I've spent very little time on the mainland apart from a few days in Athens. I've been hankering after a trip to the Peloponnese, which has a heady mixture of ancient sites, culture, scenery and beaches. One day...

Snap! I'd also love to go back to Greece. I'm dreaming of a rustic, bougainvillea-covered cottage with a path leading straight to the beach. White sand, clear blue sea. Perfect, cloudless skies; a taverna selling simple, home-cooked food; plenty of books to read…

In reality, we're going to a youth hostel in Cornwall. It will probably rain all week.

I have been wanting to go to the Cinque Terre in Italy for years, you can walk along the paths between the villages, and then take a train when you feel like it. Admire the coastal views, eat delicious Italian food. And then take a train to Florence for some culture. Perfect. It would be nice to do this holiday slightly off season as I know the area gets very crowded in holiday time.

My dream destination is the Bay of Islands in New Zealand: http://www.newzealand.com/uk/bay-of-islands/. I'd need to stay for at least a month in order to do the beaches justice and visit an old friend who I haven't seen for more than a decade. Just thinking about it makes me smile.

Talking of Greece, Sybil and LogartyMaya, a friend of mine who lives there for half the year has been urging everyone she knows - and everyone on her Facebook feed - to go there for a holiday. She says: "Don't listen to all the scaremongering designed to bring a wounded country to its knees… there are no food shortages here… the only shortage is of tourists."

I haven't been there for many years, but have fond memories of sandy beaches, warm seas and delicious seafood. It was the perfect holiday destination. With that in mind, perhaps we should give Greece a chance?